For the Boys
by snowflower90
Summary: Arthur and Francis never did see eye to eye, but now they need to put aside their differences to raise their two sons. Can they get along and do what it takes to give Alfred and Matthew a happy family environment? What will they do for the boys? FACE family/AU.
1. Chapter 1: The Black Sheep and the Frog

A/N: It's snowflower90. I decided to write this story after an idea I had. I just love the FACE family. The story takes place in an AU, so I am sorry if the characters are out of character. In this AU, the adoption system works differently. So, yes I know that it doesn't match our worlds. I will be introducing Arthur's and Francis's jobs in a future chapter. Yes, you will find out why Francis refers to Arthur as Angleterre. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter One: The Black Sheep and the Frog**

"State your name for the record."

"Arthur Kirkland."

"According to the application, you wish to be the legal guardian over Alfred F. Jones, whose current age is 3 years 6 months."

"Yes, your honor," Arthur's emerald eyes blazed. He was determined to get Alfred out of the system and into a permanent placement. Such a young, adorable child shouldn't have to live being bounced from home to home.

"Do you know the special requirements this child comes with? He must not be separated from his twin brother. His brother has already been approved to be under the care of some other person. How would you respond to having to live with and assist in raising Matthew Williams and his legal guardian?"

"I will do whatever is needed for Alfred."

The judges whispered to each other and nodded. "Arthur Kirkland, the courts have decided. You have been approved to be the legal guardian to Alfred F. Jones. Living arrangements under the specified guidelines will be delivered to you by tonight. You will be picked up and taken to your new living-quarters in one week's time. Get all of your affairs in order Mr. Kirkland before the week is up. You will meet your new son and his brother the day after you move to the new house with the other guardian."

"Thank you, your honors," Arthur brushed his bushy blond bangs out of his face and turned to leave.

Just as he reached the door, he heard the female judge say, "Good lick on your future, Mr. Kirkland."

* * *

The car pulled into the driveway to a two-story suburban house. In the morning sun the house seemed to be an off white, possibly cream color. The yard was a decent size and had a lot of trees that were already starting to change color, despite it only being early September. Arthur found that he quite fancied the looks of this place and couldn't wait to get settled in.

"Mr. Kirkland, your things have been delivered and all of your bags are in the back. The case worker will be here later to see how you and the other guardian are settling in and give you more details about tomorrow."

"Thank you," Arthur said and stepped out of the car to grab his bags.

"Good luck, Mr. Kirkland," the chauffer said as he pulled out of the drive way.

The British man slowly made his way to the house as he took in the scenery. It was quite a lovely view. On either side of the multi-colored, bricked pathway were flower boxes. The brick walkway was very colorful with the bricks being red, dark yellow, brown and grey.

Arthur thought that this was quite the house and couldn't wait for Alfred and Matthew to join him. He grabbed his bags and walked up to the door. The handle turned with ease and the door opened to reveal a hallway and a staircase. To the left there was a large doorway that led to what looked like a den or living room. The blond, British man peeked into the room. Light was pouring through the large windows. It seemed to cover every object in the room. There were a couple couches and Arthur's tea table on one side and on the other was piles of boxes. On the south wall there was a magnificent fire place that Arthur knew would serve the household well in the winter.

Just as Arthur turned around, he saw the blond locks and bright blue eyes he had come to associate with annoyance. The two young men locked eyes. One grinned while the other glared.

"What are you doing here, frog?" Arthur asked accusingly.

"Oh, Angleterre. Your words are like a knife." The French man held his chest acting like he had been stabbed straight through the heart. "I am being attacked in my lovely home."

This is my new home. Not yours," Arthur said. Then it struck him like a brick falling from the sky. How could this be happening? "You're not by chance Matthew's new guardian, are you?"

"Oui. I am going to raise petit Mathieu to be as kind and gentle as his papa. Did they not tell you that I am his guardian?" Francis looked at Arthur with a curious expression.

"No, they bloody didn't. Let me guess, you knew all along." Francis nodded. "I am going to need a word with those people."

"Angleterre, it really isn't that bad," Francis tried to convince him.

"NOT THAT BAD!? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO RAISE A SUCCESSFUL CHILD WITH A FROG LIKE YOU?"

Just as Arthur was expressing his dislike of the situation, a young woman walked through the front door.

"Mr. Kirkland is there a problem," the brunette questioned.

"Who are you?" Arthur snapped.

"My name is Amanda. I am the twins' caseworker. If there is a problem I am sure the courts can retract your guardianship and place them under someone more agreeable to the current situation." The woman stuck her hand into her bag and pulled out her notepad. "So, is there a problem, Mr. Kirkland?"

"I am sorry, miss. There is no problem. Just a slight misunderstanding." Arthur let the tension in his shoulders relax. He heard his French rival snicker behind him.

"Good. I would hate to displace little Alfred again just because his current guardian can't handle the living situation." Amanda pushed passed Arthur. "Now, Mr. Kirkland, Mr. Bonnefoy, please come with me."

When everyone was seated at the dining table, Amanda explained what was going to happen over the course of the coming week. "Tomorrow around two o'clock in the afternoon I will be here to deliver the twins. On Wednesday, the twins have a doctor's appointment for a checkup. You will need to be at the clinic around nine in the morning with their adoption papers and medical records. I will come on Friday to check and see how things are going. Here is a list of things you will need before tomorrow." She handed each of the men a paper. "The list on the back is things that need to be done to the house by tomorrow as well as by Friday. It is all safety measures for the little ones. Alfred is known for getting into trouble. Just last week he was found in the garage because his current caregiver didn't have the proper doorknob protectors."

"Oh my." Francis and Arthur said in unison.

"Well, that is all I have for you today. I will let you two prepare for tomorrow." Amanda stood up and headed for the door. "Good-bye, gentlemen." Arthur and Francis said their farewells to Amanda, then sat and stared at each other.

Arthur's green eyes closed and he let out a sigh. "I think we should come to an agreement to at least tolerate each other for the sake of raising the boys."

Francis nodded, "For the boys."

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked the first chapter. It is just an idea I had.


	2. Chapter 2: Home At Last

A/N: Thank you to all who read the first chapter. Here is another one. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Home At Last**

"Sliding locks on all lower cabinets."

"Check."

"Outlet plugs in all outlets."

"Check."

"Safety catches secure on all drawers."

"Check."

"Door knob covers on all doors leading outside, to the bathroom, and to the basement."

"Check."

"Latches secure on both the freezer, and refrigerator."

"Check."

"Stove knob covers on all four knobs."

"Check."

"Baby gates placed at top and bottom of stairs and in the playroom door way."

"Check."

"That just leaves putting the car seats in the car and we will be done."

"Brilliant. And it's only ten o'clock. We still have four hours before the boys get here." Arthur looked at his watch. "What should we do now?"

"Well," Francis looked at the long list the two gentlemen had made the night before. "We have a large amount already completed. I think we just have our bedrooms and offices to set up and then the library."

"I think I shall go tidy up my room. We can work on the library sometime this week. Maybe we could do a little each day, when we put the boys down for a nap?" Arthur thought back on the night before. While, him and Francis were setting up the living room they had discussed and came to an agreement on how they were going to raise the boys. They decided that Alfred and Matthew would share a room until they were seven years old, then they would be given the choice to continue sharing or to have their own rooms. There were enough rooms for each one to have their own but Arthur and Francis felt the boys would grow closer and would appreciate each other's company as they grew older.

The decision was also made that for the time being, the toddlers would take and afternoon nap and go to bed around eight o'clock. That would give each of the men a little time to do work or just relax. That was about as far as they got on planning and they agrees that they would do the rest as the issues came up.

* * *

Arthur had been busy organizing his room when a knock startled him.

"Angleterre? Would you like some lunch? I made sandwiches." Francis asked as he cracked the door open. Arthur turned around and spotted the French man holding a plate. It looked like instead of the standard loaf of bread Francis used a croissant. It was garnished with lettuce, cheese and some thin sliced roast. Arthur hates to admit it be he had always been fond of Francis's cooking. However, he would never admit it to the man himself.

"Oh, thank you," Arthur said trying to sound uninterested. "What time is it?"

"A quarter 'til one."

Arthur gasped. "Already?"

"Oui, the boys will be here in a little over an hour." Francis looked at his watch. "I think it would be a great idea to greet the boys outside when they arrive. I am sure that it would make a good impression on Amanda as well."

"Brilliant idea, old chap."

"Hon. Hon. Hon. No insulting nicknames, Angleterre?" Francis smirked.

"Don't push it. Remember, we _are_ creating a family environment for Alfred and Matthew." Francis nodded, still wearing his smirk.

Francis gave Arthur his sandwich and went to finish up unpacking his bedroom boxes.

* * *

The black car came pulling into the drive way. Arthur had butterflies in his stomach. It had been nearly three weeks since he had seen either of the boys. Between meetings with the court and adoption agency and the move, Arthur hadn't been able to visit the foster home.

Arthur stole a peek at Francis. On the outside he seemed to be waiting patiently, but the small persistent tap of his foot gave away the impatience hiding within him. As the car inched closer the anticipation grew.

Finally, the car came to a stop and Amanda climbed out of the passenger seat. The blond British man hadn't noticed how short se was. _Her big personality made her seem bigger yesterday,_ Arthur thought.

"Good Afternoon," Amanda said as she approached the two men.

"Good afternoon," they replied in unison.

"How is everything coming along?" The young woman said as she dug through her briefcase.

"Only a couple rooms left, mon cher," Francis answered.

"Enough of the flattering, Mr. Bonnefoy." Amanda rolled her eyes and handed each of the men a folder of papers. "These are all of the papers that say the boys are legally yours. There is a long list of places where you will need those papers."

"Thank you." Arthur said.

"I don't want to make the boys wait in the car any longer. They have been very anxious since we picked them up this morning." Amanda explained as she strolled back to the car. "Then, I will come in and check all the safety precautions."

As soon as she opened the door, Arthur heard the adorable voice he knew was Alfred's. "Where Arfer?"

"Arthur is waiting just up the path." Amanda replied.

"Arfer really daddy now?" The three-year-old asked.

"Yes, he is really your daddy now." The caseworker chuckled. "Now hold still so I can unbuckle you."

A quieter voice from the other side of the car said something that Arthur couldn't quite hear. Amanda replied to the other voice with another chuckle and said, "Yes, your papa is here too."

Before the anxiety got to either of the men, the boys were released from the car. Both had short blond hair and were about the same size. One had sparkling blue eyes and seemed quite energetic, while the other had light lavender eyes and was obviously very shy.

The more energetic boy's face lit up when he saw Arthur. Even though Amanda had told him to stay beside the car while she got their bags, Alfred decided he couldn't wait any longer.

"DADDY!" Alfred came running at Arthur.

Arthur picked up his child with ease. This was the moment he had been waiting for since he had saw Alfred at the foster home.

Arthur looked around to see where little Matthew had went. He was still hiding by Amanda's legs hugging a teddy bear.

Francis strolled over to the car and squatted to the three-year-olds level. Francis whispered something to Matthew, which caused both the toddler and the caseworker to smile. The toddler nodded and climbed into Francis's arms.

Amanda, Francis and Matthew strolled back up the path and joined Arthur and Alfred.

"These are all the boys' possessions." Amanda said holding up two small duffle bags.

"Okay, you can set them inside the door and I will take care of them in a few minutes." Arthur smiled.

After several minutes of inspection, Amanda deemed the house safe and took her leave. Francis then took the boys on a tour of the house, while Arthur unpacked what little the boys had.

All Arthur could think of was, _Welcome home boys._

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading. Leave a review if you feel like it. I would really appreciate it.


	3. Chapter 3: Of Shots and Bedtime Stories

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has decided to follow this story. I hope you guys keep enjoying this story. Sorry this chapter is kind of late. Life has been on the busy side lately. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter Three: Of Shot & Bedtime Stories**

"Angleterre, could you get the boys ready with their backpack and out the door in five minutes," Francis said caring the last of the two car seats out the front door.

"Of course I can," Arthur mumbled grabbing the twins' jackets. Temperatures were cold for this time of year and Arthur knew the doctor's office was usually just as cold.

Arthur went to the living room and grabbed the bags that Francis and he had packed the night before. They felt as if they were well equip with a snack baggy, a package of baby wipes and tissue, a couple toys and a spare pair of clothes in each bag. Arthur even added a few band-aids in the front pocket just in case.

With jackets and backpacks in hand, the British father strolled down the hall to the playroom.

"Come on boys," He said. "Time to get your jackets on."

Alfred and Matthew came running to the door of the playroom.

"Daddy, daddy!"Alfred hollered holding up his super hero toy. "Tan I tate it?"

"Yes, you can." Arthur smiled. "Do you want to take anything, Matthew?"

Matthew held up his white teddy bear to show Arthur.

"What's his name?"

"Kumacheerio."

"Really now?" Arthur smiled. "That is a cute name. Alright now boys, come get you jackets on."

After getting all the jackets on and the boys shooed out the door, Arthur locked up and followed the tykes to Francis' car.

"Up you go, mes garçons," Francis said as he lifted both the boys into the car. "Sit down in the fancy car seats and Papa will buckle you in." Meanwhile, Arthur was double checking to make sure they had everything for their first family outing.

When everyone was finally in the car and buckled up, Francis pulled out of the drive way.

Arthur turned to Francis and whispered with a smirk, "Did you know Matthew named his teddy bear after a cereal?"

"What name did he tell you?" Francis grinned as he turned onto one of the main roads in town.

"Kumacheerio."

"Hon. Hon. Mon pauvre petit garçon. He can never get the name right. It is actually Kumajiro. Mathieu and Alfred's grand-mère made it for him when they were born. Unfortunately, she passed before she could make Alfred one. Mathieu is attached to the thing. It never leaves his side."

"That is adorable, I must say." Arthur said peeking at the mirror to see the boys.

Matthew was hugging Kumajiro and watching out the window. Alfred, on the other hand, was looking at a picture book they had brought, mumbling to himself in toddler talk.

The rest of the drive was uneventful. Arthur had to admit Francis was an excellent driver. When they arrived at the doctor's office Arthur was a mess. Alfred and Matthew wanted to play with the doctor's office toys but Arthur was afraid that they would contract some kind of disease.

"Angleterre," Francis said multiple times. "They are alright. I am sure that they will be fine. Children are tough."

When Francis turned in all of the paper work the nurse called everyone back.

* * *

"Mr. Kirkland, are you up to date on your shots?" The doctor asked.

"Well, booster, yes. However, I thought about getting my flu shot." Arthur eyed the nurse that was standing by the counter. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just with young children it seems to go better if they have a role model to set an example."

Arthur looked at his adoptive sons. Matthew was squeezing his teddy bear tightly and Alfred's eyes were wide with the shock of seeing the needles on the counter. The young British man sighed and agreed to get the shot.

The nurse lifted his sleeve and dabbed it with the alcohol pad. She explained to the three-year-olds that their daddy wouldn't even feel a thing. Arthur thought differently when he felt the sting and burn of the medicine. He fought to not show the pain. When he looked back at the boys, he saw the astonishment on their faces. Alfred clapped his hands in approval of his daddy. Arthur smiled proudly.

Then the nurses turned to the twins and asked, "Who wants to be next?"

Alfred stepped forward. "Me! Me!"

"Okay," said the nurse. "Now stand very still." She pulled up Alfred's sleeve and dabbed it with the alcohol pad.

"Dat cold," Alfred giggled.

"How cold is it?" The nurse said trying to distract the young tot.

"Ize coo…" Before Alfred could finish saying ice cube his eyes grew wide and the look of terror rushed over him. Tears began to form in the corners of his sky-blue eyes. "Daddy, it hurs."

"It's alright," Arthur said giving Alfred a hug after the nurse put a Band-Aid on the toddler arm.

After seeing his brother's tears, Matthew was very hesitant to go with the nurse. He hugged Kumajiro so tight that Arthur was almost positive the teddy bear's head would pop off. In the end, Matthew took the shot with minimal tears. Francis hugged and praised him.

"Here are the signed papers from the doctor. Both boys passed their physical and they don't have to come back until they are five years old. Unless they get sick of course," the nurse smiled. She bent down and gave each of the boys a sticker that had an adorable ice cream cone with a face. The text below it said 'I deserve ice cream.' "Now make sure you are good boys for your daddies."

Alfred wiped the tears from his eyes, looked the nurse straight in the eyes and replied, "Yez ma'am." He gave her the biggest smile he could muster. "He my daddy foreber now."

The nurse couldn't help but giggle as she led the unusual family back out to the waiting room. Francis led both the boys out to the vehicle, while Arthur took care of the dismissal paperwork.

The receptionist handed the British man yet another stack of papers. "All of these will go to the twins' caseworker," the young woman explained. "She should put it on file with the adoption agency. Then you should be able to get a passport, when needed. Thank you Mr. Kirkland for choosing our facility for your health needs."

Arthur thanked the young receptionist and left the building. As he approach Francis' vehicle he heard familiar chatter.

"Are these you little ones?" The female voice was thick with a Hungarian accent.

"Oui. The petite one with the bear is Mathieu and this one is Alfred. Boys say bonjour to Miss Elizabeta."

"Hewwo," the boys said in unison.

"These are her sons, Feliciano and Lovino. When daddy and I have meetings you will get to play with them."

As Arthur rounded the Ford Explorer, he saw Elizabeta standing next to the Italian brothers. Her husband Roderich and she had adopted the boys nearly four years ago. Seeing how happy they were had sparked the fire in Arthur's heart to pursue adopting Alfred. He wanted his own happy family as well, even if it meant living under the same roof as the frog.

"Do you like pasta?" The younger of the two brothers was leaning on the door peeking in the window.

"Pasta?" Alfred looked confused.

"Like spaghetti."

"Paghetti!" Alfred said clapping his hands. "Papa, we have paghetti for stupper?"

"Oui, mon petites," the French man smiled. Anyone could see the love in his eyes for the boys. "We will have spaghetti for supper."

Elizabeta looked up and noticed Arthur standing by the back of the Explorer. She smiled at him and said, "These are a couple of beautiful boys you have."

After chatting a little while longer with Elizabeta and her boys, Francis decided to go to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients for that nights meal. Arthur and the boys stayed in the car and ate the ice cream they had gotten as a treat.

Upon arriving home, Arthur put the tots in the play room with the baby gate closed then went to work in his office of a little while. Before he knew it Francis was calling him to dinner and everyone ate happily.

Francis gave the boys a bath while Arthur did the dishes. He couldn't help but grin as he heard the childish giggles coming from the other room. Even though it had only been a few days they were all starting to feel like a family.

After everything was in place Arthur went to change into his night clothes. He heard a small tap on his door.

"Angleterre?" Francis said in an uncertain tone.

"What?" Arthur answered pulling his shirt over his head.

"You have duex petit garcons requesting a bedtime story," the blonde French man explained through the door.

"Okay. I will be there in just a minute."

When Arthur walked into the twins' room he saw two little blond heads peeking out from under the covers, along with a little white teddy bear.

"Alright then," Arthur said grabbing a book off the shelf they had hung specifically for bedtime story books. "Tonight we are going to read story about a knight who saves a princess from a dragon." Arthur sat down in the middle of the bed and plopped a boy in each leg and pulled the covers up.

During the story the boys continually asked questions, Alfred more than Matthew though.

By the end of the tale all three had droopy eyelids and sluggish movements. After Arthur tucked them in, he chose to go to bed himself. However before he left their room, he took one last look at his darling boys and was very thankful for the joy they brought him.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading. Leave a review if you feel like it. I would really appreciate it.


	4. Chapter 4: World Meeting

_A/N: Hey everyone! First I would like to apologize for taking so long to update. I took a short break to write another Hetalia fanfic. It is up on here as well if you want to read it. (Six Feet Under) Secondly, wow! 20 followers. Thank you soooooo much for your support on this story, I really appreciate it._

 _Also I upped the rating to K+ because of some of Arthur's rants, and I put a cover on this story. I think the creature is cute-ayame from photobucket but I am not completely sure. All you mainly need to know is that it is not mine. Standard disclaimers apply for both Hetalia and the cover picture._

 _Here is chapter four. It is on the longer side but I hope you enjoy._

* * *

 **Chapter Four: World Meeting**

The sun was shining, the birds were singing and Arthur was sitting at the world meeting table in a slightly grumpy mood. It had been about a month since Francis and Arthur got the twins and this was the first time that they had to leave the young tykes in the care of someone else. Even though they were only down the hall from the world meeting room, Arthur worried. He was also in a foul mood because it was such a nice day and he was also stuck inside an old stuffy building. Plus, it didn't help that he had a slight headache.

Nothing could be done though and when the meeting started Arthur was locked in.

"Roll call," shouted the tall red-haired Scottish man. "When I call your country's name just say anything. Let's start with Austria."

"I am here," answered the prim and proper man named Roderich.

"Belarus."

"Here," the little blonde woman said with no enthusiasm. She sat there playing with here knife staring at her older brother. Arthur had to admit Natalia was pretty scary.

"China."

"I'm here, aru," called out the long, black-haired man. Yao generally looked like a girl at first glance but no one made that mistake twice.

"Denmark."

"Right here," boomed the tall spiky haired blonde known as Mathias.

"Iggy."

"Allistor," Arthur glared. "Say my bloody country's name right."

"Fine. England," Allistor grumbled. Allistor had always been like that to his younger half-brother, teasing Arthur whenever he had a chance.

"Thank you. I am here." Arthur answered.

"Finland."

"Yep." The cheerful, young Nordic said. Tino was always the gentle, honest one.

"France."

"Bonjour," Francis exclaimed.

"Greece."

"Yes, I'm here." The bushy brown haired man said with a yawn. Heracles, Greece's representative was very laid back and kind of lazy.

"Hungary."

"Right here," Elizabeta confidently said.

"Norway."

"Yeah, I'm here." Lukas, the Norwegian man, said in an indifferent tone.

"Don't sound so excited." Allistor grinned, sarcasm hanging on to every word. "Next is Poland."

The green-eyed, blonde looked up from his notebook and smirked. "Here. Feliks is here."

"Prussia."

The albino stood up and put a foot on the table. "The awesome Gilbert, representative of awesome Prussia is here."

Everyone in the room tolled their eyes.

"Russia."

"I am here, da," the large man smiled. Even though Ivan seemed friendly, everyone, except his siblings, kept a wary eye on him. There was just a strange icy aura that seemed to emit from the guy.

"Scotland," Allistor grinned. "Well, I'm here." Arthur let out a huff, which caused him to receive a glare from his older brother. "Spain."

There was no reply.

"Spain."

Still no answer. Everyone stared down at the end of the table where the Spaniard sat. He was lying fast asleep on top of his notebook. Francis elbowed his friend in the ribs, causing the young, bushy brown-haired man to jump up and yell, "Churros."

The group laughed.

"Antonio, if the meeting is too boring for you, we could manage without you," Allistor grinned.

"No, amigo, I am fine. I was just up late," Antonio yawned and leaned back against the chair.

"Sweden."

"Ja." The Swedish man, Berwald, stated. He wasn't the type to talk a lot.

"Switzerland."

"I'm right here," said the Swiss man named Basch. He looked rather annoyed that roll call was taking so long.

"Lastly," Allistor said. "Ukraine."

"Oh, right here," answered the soft spoken Iryna.

Allistor cleared his throat. "Now first on our schedule are announcements. So, any announcements?"

Francis stood up. "Last month, Angleterre and I adopted duex petit garçons." Arthur's eyes grew wide.

The Scottish man eyed his brother with a smirk. "Lad, you didn't tell me you were livin' with the frog."

"Bugger off," Arthur snapped as he glared at his older brother. "I didn't tell you because I knew you would make a big deal out of it. I am just doing what's best for Alfred and Matthew. If that means living with Francis, I will do it."

"Good grief, laddie," Allistor said. "You're too touchy sometimes."

"How old are they?" Lukas asked.

"They are three years old," the English man answered.

"So is my brother, Emil. Maybe we should schedule a play date."

"Oui. That is a magnifique idea," Francis agreed enthusiastically. "What do you think, Angleterre?"

"Sure," Arthur said. "Give me a call Lukas and we can set a date."

"When can the wee lads meet their uncle?" Allistor smirked.

"Never," Arthur said with a look of distaste. He didn't want his rude, alcoholic brother around the boys.

"Oh, Angleterre," Francis cooed. "What could it hurt? The boys need family outside of us."

"Fine," the Brit huffed, his headache was becoming more severe with the irritation of the people around him. "We will set up a time. Absolutely no smoking those filthy cigars and cigarettes around the boys."

"I won't," the older Kirkland said. "Now let's start the meeting. First let's talk about the new trade agreements."

The rest of the meeting was uneventful. Most of the countries signed their agreements and discussed their political matters in a civil manner. That was until Francis suggested that England joined France in an open boarder agreement. The agreement would allow citizens of both countries to come and go as they pleased, without paper work or anything else.

"That is ridiculous, frog," Arthur snapped. "You can't just con in and out of our country whenever you like. Who knows what kind of crooks could enter the country."

"Mon cher," Francis said looking appalled. "You still think we are all crooks. And I see you have resorted back to name calling."

Arthur glared feeling frustrated. "I am only calling you what I see. You are making a rubbish request."

Francis mumbled that it was just suggestion from his boss and that Arthur didn't have to be so grumpy about it. The English man sighed in annoyance. Maybe he reacted too harshly toward the idiotic idea of his French housemate. He just felt like Francis was trying to use their current situation as a way to make their countries one. It wouldn't be the first time the French tried something like that. Something about it made Arthur mad.

* * *

It was nearly three o'clock in the afternoon before the meeting was called to a close. Arthur was feeling exceedingly grumpy and he had no idea why. Luckily, Allistor spared him and left without any further chiding. Francis said that he would get the car if the Brit would go and pick up the boys.

On his way to the child care room he ran into Lukas, who was on his way to the child care room as well to pick up Emil.

"That was a boring meeting," the Norwegian stated.

"Yes, it was," Arthur said. "I just can't believe that the frog would suggest an open board system. I mean you and Mathias are really close and you two don't even have an open boarder system."

"That is because his boss knows that my boss would never consider it," Lukas said opening the door to a room filled with chattering children.

"I'm surprised his boss didn't see it that way as well." Arthur let out a sigh. "I'm knackered. Not to mention I have a horrible headache."

"At least it's time to go home," stated Lukas looking at the crowd of children.

Suddenly three little people came running towards the two nation representatives.

"Daddy," the blonde twins yelled in unison, one much louder than the other.

The toddler beside them had silver hear. Arthur thought it was such a unique color. He knew that it was Emil, Lukas' younger brother.

"Daddy," the more outgoing of the twins giggled, pulling at his father pant leg.

"Yes, Alfred?"

"Me and Mattie made new fwiends."

The Brit couldn't help but feel better looking at his boys smiling. "Did you make friends, Matthew?" The toddler squeezed his teddy bear tight and nodded.

"Mil is my fwiend," Alfred said giving the other toddler a toothy grin.

"Kumocheerio likes Mil, too," Matthew whispered just loud enough for Arthur to hear him.

"Well, it looks like we will have to set up a play date," Arthur commented to the Norwegian.

"Yes. Emil seems to be excited over his new friends as well."

Everyone said their good-byes and the two brothers left.

"Daddy," Matthew quietly said pulling on Arthur's pant leg. "Carry me, peas."

"Of course, buddy." He picked up the purple eyed tot. It was awkward at first with the stuffed polar bear sandwiched between the two but it was quickly fixed with some repositioning. Alfred ran in circles around this father's legs as the child care worker to Arthur that the boys were well behaved. She also explained that Matthew didn't sleep long during nap time.

"That explains why he keeps rubbing his eyes and nodding off," Arthur observed. "Thank you for watching them. Come on Alfred, it's time to go home."

The Brit took his child's hand and the three of them left the world conference building. By the time the trio arrived at the car Matthew was fast asleep. When Francis was the young boy he had a look of concern. After the English man buckled the boys in, careful not to wake the sleeping one, he explained that Matthew hadn't slept well during nap time.

"My poor Mathieu," was all that Francis said as he pulled out of the parking lot.

* * *

By the time they arrived back at the house it was nearly five o'clock. Matthew woke up minutes before they pulled into the drive way. Alfred, who had been coloring quietly, was the first to notice.

"MATTIE!" The blue eyed twin cheered.

Arthur turned around in the passenger seat and scolded his coy, "Alfred, not so loud." He looked over at Matthew. "Feeling better?"The three year-old answered by nodding while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Francis took the boys inside while Arthur unpacked the trunk. Even though seeing the boys had melted most of his grumpiness away, there was still a hint in the back of his mind. It didn't help that he was utterly exhausted from the long day locked in that building. When he stepped through the front door with his hands full of bags and brief cases, he decided to try and be nice to the frog and offer to cook supper.

He dumped everything by the front door and went to find Francis. The French man was with the boys in the playroom listening to them talk about the friends that they had made.

"Um, Francis," Arthur looked down at the floor, "if you want to spend more time with the twins, I can cook supper."

Francis' face fell from its playful smile to a serious scowl. "Non."

Taken back by his sudden rejection, Arthur snapped," Why not?"

"Your cooking is horrifying. Do you want to make the petits anges ill?"

"I would not. How dare you insult my cooking after you have tried my nerves today with ridiculous proposals!" Arthur's voice grew louder with every word. "Who died and made you king? A frog thinks he is high and mighty. Well fine, you cook the bloody meal. Never take a break for all I care. There still will never be a chance for you to come into my cou-."

"Arthur!" Francis said sternly. "Now is not the time to be discussing those matters. I don't know what has you in such a grumpy mood but I will not have you scaring the boys like this."

Arthur looked down at the boys. Both of them were pressed closely to Francis in fear of the angry Brit. Then it hit him. Francis and he had made a promise to be a good family for the boys. They weren't going to fight or call each other names any more. They were going to be good parents and be the best they could for the boys. Here he was, however, yelling at the man in front of them. He was showing them that he could be a monster. How could he be fit to be a father when he let petty situations bring out such childish reactions? Arthur knew Francis was right, his cooking was horrible. Arthur also knew that for the second times today, he had no right to lash out at the French man for following his boss' orders.

When he came back to reality, he had warm wet tears running down his face. He sank to the floor of the playroom. "I'm sorry," he sputtered. "I'm sorry I yelled. I'm sorry I scared you. I'm sorry Francis. I know you were just doing what you boss told you to do. I'm not fit to be a daddy." The tears were growing larger as he went on. His headache was pounding, threatening to crack his skull open. He hid his face with his hands. He felt like he was breaking.

Just when Arthur felt like he was going to fall to pieces, he felt two sets of small arms wrap around him.

"Don't try, Daddy," a quiet voice said.

"We wobe you, Daddy," a slightly louder one added.

"Oh, Angleterre," Francis cooed. He joined in on the hug. "You are not a bad father."

Arthur looked up at his family. He felt the love of the boys and he saw the forgiveness in the French man's eyes.

The next thing he knew Francis had is hand against the Brit's forehead. "Ma parole! Angleterre you are burning. Let's get you to bed and some medicine in you." He turned to the boys, "Can you do Papa a favor and play nice until I get back?" Both nodded.

Francis walked Arthur up the stairs and told him to get dressed in to his night clothes. When the French man returned he had Arthur take some cold medicine and lay down.

"I really am sorry, Francis," Arthur apologized again. "I am an idiot."

"Non, you are just very emotional when you are sick. You don't think straight and you act upon your first thought. I agree that the open boarder proposal is a radical one but I had to ask because of my boss. However, I think we need to separate our work from our home life. After all we are trying to be a family. We also don't want to drag our sons down just because of our jobs. You agree, non?"

"Of course I agree," Arthur's voice was beginning to drift. Sleep tugged at his eye lids.

"Now rest, Arthur. The boys and I want to see you better. I will bring you some soup later." Francis said as he left the room.

As Arthur drifted to the wonderland of sleep he remembered the warm embrace of the three. His family. His dear, sweet family.

* * *

 _A/N: Thanks for reading! If you drop a review I would really love it. See you in Chapter 5!_


	5. Chapter 5: When it Snows Pt 1

_A/N: Hey everyone! I am soooooooooo sorry for the long wait. This chapter is finally here. I decided to break it into two parts because what I have planned for it would be way to long. I am hoping to get the next part out in a timelier manner. Thank you for sticking with me._

 _Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter Five: When it Snows Pt. 1**

January was always cold in thus part of the world but this year seemed ridiculous. Even though it hadn't snowed yet the temperatures were unbelievable.

It had been nearly three months since the world meeting. Not much had changed other than both Arthur and Francis were becoming more of a family and less hostile toward one another. Although, Francis had given up his hostility toward the Englishman long ago, Arthur was getting better at not losing his temper as often with the French man. He might even dare to admit that they were becoming friends.

Arthur was spending some time thinking about the past several months when he heard a cry come from the twins' bedroom. He quickly went upstairs to investigate. As soon as the Brit opened the door he saw two feet rushing back into bed. Across the room, Matthew sat on his bed crying while hugging his stuffed polar bear tightly.

Quietly Arthur walked across the room and picked up the toddler. "There, there," Arthur tried to comfort the crying Matthew. "What's wrong?"

"Alfred hit me," Matthew said between sobs.

The Englishman turned and looked at Matthew's twin. Sky-blue eyes peeked out at Arthur. "Come out, Alfred. Tell me why you hit your brother."

"He da dragon," Alfred mumbled from under his covers.

"Dragon?" Their dad looked between the two confused.

"Yeah. I da hewo and Mattie da dragon," Alfred happily stated.

"No, I not." Matthew protested. "I hewo too."

"That's enough, you two," Arthur snapped. Both boys looked up at their dad with wide eyes. "Alfred, you need to tell Matthew you're sorry. We don't hit."

"I sowwy, Mattie," the outgoing twin said.

Matthew looked and Arthur, who gave the tot a nod of encouragement. "It otay."

Arthur looked at the clock and decided that it was no use trying to get the twins to take a nap now. Francis was supposed to be calling in less than an hour and both boys were looking forward to talking to their papa. He also knew Francis looking forward to hearing from the young boys.

"Alright, you two. Nap time's over," the Englishman announced. "Who wants a snack?"

"I do!" Alfred shouted and jumped out of bed and ran to the bedroom door.

"Tan Kumocheerio have snack?" Matthew asked holding up his stuffed polar bear.

"But, of course," Arthur smiled pulling the violet-eyed child out of bed.

* * *

The phone rang just as the twins were finishing up their jello and juice. Arthur put down his tea and answered.

"Hello." Arthur greeted the French man.

"Bonjour, Angleterre," Francis replied sounding a bit tired.

"How was your flight?"

"Exhausting. I wasn't able to sleep. There was way too much turbulence. Then, as soon as I landed I was swept away to a meeting. Ce sera un longue semaine."

"Well, at least you have the rest of the evening off. You should be able to catch up on some sleep." Arthur said. He heard the French man sighed.

"Maybe I will get one of those spa treatments. How is it going with Matthew and Alfred?"

Arthur thought about not mentioning the naptime incident but decided that it would be better if Francis knew just in case Matthew said something about it. "It went well up until naptime. Apparently the boys decided to play instead of sleep. Alfred was playing like a hero and like poor Matthew was a dragon. It ended in Matthew being hit and me going up stairs. I made Alfred apologize and then just had them stay awake."

"Oh my," Francis gasped. "I hope the rest of the week doesn't turn out like today."

"I am sure it won't. It is just the boys aren't used to you being gone. You were always the one to put them down for a nap any way."Arthur sighed. "I better let you talk to them, they are armed with spoons and I am getting looks that are telling me that I am taking too long." He heard laugh. "Here's Matthew."

"Hi, Papa," the small boy said quietly. "Yes…no."

Arthur thought it would be a good idea to keep the more energetic twin busy while he waited for his turn. "Alfred, come help clear the table. You can carry the bowls and spoons." The Brit gave his son the two small bowls and spoons.

Alfred carefully walked the dished over to the sink. Realizing he was too short to reach the top of the counter, Arthur picked him up. He heard a small gasp come from the child. Looking to see what caused the adorable sound, Arthur's emerald eyes gazed out the window. Large white puffs of snow were falling from the sky gracefully. It was also starting to collect on the ground in patches. Arthur looked at Alfred and saw him staring wide eyed at the beauty. His eyes sparkled with wonder and curiosity.

"Looks at all that snow," Arthur smiled.

"Yeah," little Alfred replied still staring out the window.

"Maybe if we get enough we can go and play out in it tomorrow. Tonight I think we can use the fireplace and lay some blankets out and read stories." Arthur planned aloud. This caused his toddler to shout with joy. The young father hugged his son close and nuzzled his cheek, to which the young child replied with a giggle.

After a few minutes, Arthur put Alfred down and started washing the bowls and cups. When it was Alfred's turn to talk to Francis, he heard the child talking enthusiastically about the snow. While Alfred spoke with his Papa, the English dad decided that he would show Matthew the snow.

"Did you know that bears like Kumojiro love the snow?"

"Wow!" Matthew whispered in amazement. Arthur was amazed at the difference between the twins. They seemed to be polar opposites when it came to their personalities. It seemed that Alfred loved to shout and get everyone's attention, while Matthew seemed to like keeping his amazement to himself.

It didn't take long for Alfred to grow tired of talking on the phone. He had way too much energy to just sit there and talk. Arthur decided that he would take the boys and play in the playroom.

* * *

For their evening meal, Arthur heated up some of the lasagna that Francis had made. Before leaving on his trip Francis had made a week's worth of food and instructions with each telling how to heat each dish. Both of the grown men knew that Arthur couldn't cook to save anyone's life. Francis also didn't want to put their sons' lives endanger of food poisoning while he was away. The last thing they needed was two sick three-year-olds and the child protective services after them.

Arthur hadn't responded kindly to the criticism but he couldn't deny the claims either. So, he allowed Francis to win this time just to keep the peace.

After the dishes were finished Arthur bathed the boys and put them into their warm winter pajamas. He told the boys to go and wait in the living room for him while he gathered a few things. First he ran up stairs to get a few fluffy quilts. He found some really nice ones in the hall closet and even grabbed a few of the pillows that were in the storage room. He wanted the boys to be comfortable. He thought that maybe he could get them to go to sleep easier this way.

He quickly grabbed a couple logs to start a fire in the fire place on his way back to the living room. Arthur tasked the boys with spreading the blanket out while he got the fire place going. While he was busy he heard the boys giggling and when he turned around the blankets were in more of a heap and the twins nowhere to be found.

Knowing exactly where they were however Arthur smiled to himself. "Amazing! The boys really made the blankets comfortable looking. I think I might just go ahead and lay down on them. I might even just fall in to the nice cushy blankets they look so soft." He took a step closer and saw the covers wiggle a bit. His suspicions were correct so he took three more heavy steps toward the blankets pile. "Oh, I am so tired. I think I might just fall down."

At that the two little blonde heads popped out and laughed. Alfred let out an excited screech and giggled, "No, Daddy. You squish us."

"Squish you and squeeze you and give you lots of love." Arthur sang with a sly smile. "Alright. Up and out if you want me to fix the blankets so we can read some stories."

Both the boys raced to the couch to give their father some room to spread the blanks out. When he was done the all laid spread out and Arthur began to read them a story about a princess who was cursed to sleep and how a prince came to rescue her. Then he remembered what happened at naptime and decided that he needed to make up his own story that would save Matthew from his brother's imagination.

"Once there were two princes," Arthur began. "They each lived in a big castle on the far sides of the kingdom. One day both of them were out looking for the lost treasure of the pirate king. The treasure was supposed to be found in a temple right in the middle of the two princes' kingdom. They both got to the temple at the same time. At first they fought and argued about who the treasure belonged to but soon they discovered that they had to work together to get the treasure. After a little time they reached the treasure room only to discover the pirate king was waiting there for him. The pirate king told them, 'The treasure that you are searching for is standing right next to you. Now that you are old enough it is time for the truth. You are both my sons and therefore brothers. The treasure you have found is family.' So from that day on the princes lived happily together playing games."

Both boys let out a yawn and smiled at each other. "Mattie and me tan be hewoes togever," Alfred smiled.

"Yes you can, my sweet boys." Arthur gave each of them a kiss on the forehead.

"Daddy?" Matthew looked at him through foggy eyes. "Tan we play in the snow?"

"Tomorrow, but you must sleep first." Arthur cooed.

"Otay," Matthew let out a deep relaxed breath as he drifted to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6: When it Snows Pt 2

_A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back. Summer Vacation is here! And I am terribly sorry for the lack of updates the last couple of months. I have been uber busy and kind of stressed but now that I am back and feeling better I should be popping out ideas. I also want to note that since it is summer vacation I have more free time, so hopefully I can write and post more. Please forgive me of my lack of updating and I hope you enjoy part 2 of When it Snows!_

* * *

 **Chapter Six: When it Snows Pt. 2**

The morning sunrays weren't the only thing to wake Arthur up the next morning. Pain in his back from sleeping on the hard floor and the loud voices of his two 3 year olds assisted in that feat. He rolled on to his side and felt every bone in his body shift. Standing in front of the large living room window was the two blonde haired boys, who were now a part of his everyday life. Arthur smiled as he watched the more energetic one talk to his twin.

"Mattie, you see," Alfred said pointing out the window. "It so white. We haf to wake Daddy!"

"Wow," the quieter twin said in amazement. "Look Kumocheerio, snow."

"I wanna pway. Mattie, let's pway." Before Arthur could sit up and greet the boys, Alfred had already turned around and was running at the English man at full speed. "DADDY, WAKE UP!"

The next thing Arthur knew the young child was slamming into him at full force. Arthur winced and let out a pained groan. "Good morning, Alfred," his voice was tight as he tried to recover from the direct impact to his stomach. "What's all the excitement about?"

"It so white and snowy. Mattie and me wanna pway. Peas, Daddy." Alfred sat on top of his father with the best puppy dog eyes he could muster.

Arthur moved his young boy off of him and sat up. "After we clean up and eat breakfast. Don't forget Papa is going to call right after breakfast. We don't want to miss that."

At the sound of his Papa's name Matthew left the window and sat next to Arthur. "We tan't miss Papa. No snow until we talk to Papa." Arthur was amazed at the determination that the young toddler demonstrated. The English man could read it in Matthew's eyes that even though he was excited for the snow, he missed his adoptive father. This was after all the first time they had been separated for so long since the adoption.

"We won't miss Papa's call," Arthur assured. "We still have a lot to do before we can go out and play. How about we start by cleaning up all these blankets?" Arthur bunched all of the little blankets up and handed each of the boys one to carry while he grabbed the large one. Then they carried them to the laundry basket located in the bathroom on the other side of the playroom. Afterward Arthur took both of the boys upstairs and dressed them in long sleeve sweaters and warm pants. Even though they had the fireplace lit it had died out sometime in the night and the whole house felt like and ice box. The Brit decided that it would be in the best interest for all of them if he turned the heat on before he fixed breakfast.

Luckily both boys cooperated in getting dresses. Alfred was less squirmy than usual and Arthur came to the conclusion that it was only because he want to go play in the snow. Matthew on the other hand was never hard to dress because of his quiet, obedient demeanor. Arthur was very thankful that he didn't have two high energy boys, because he feared that it would be too much for him.

Downstairs Arthur put both boys in the playroom so he could focus on not burning the house down. He heated up some of the oatmeal that Francis had left and made toast that was only slightly burnt. After pouring a cup of orange juice for the boys and a cup of tea for himself, Arthur brought the boys in for breakfast. Matthew looked at the toast suspiciously but wisely chose not to say anything about it. Even though he was only three he was already wise not to question his daddy's cooking. He had heard countless arguments between the adults about the cooking and knew that only Papa could handle Daddy's wrath.

Alfred on the other hand hadn't picked up on these cues and still decided to complain about his father's lack of cooking skills. "Daddy, why is it black?" He pointed at the corner of the toast and then poked it.

"There is nothing wrong with it so just eat it. Or no playing in the snow." Arthur rolled his eyes. Alfred stopped poking it and shoved a large chunk in his mouth.

Around the end of breakfast, the phone rang. Arthur answered on the third ring, "Bonjour! How is my family this morning?"

"Hello, Francis. Everything is well. It is so cold it would freeze the tail off a brass monkey, but the boys still want to play out in the snow."

"It snowed?"

"Yes, I might say about 15 centimeters. It should be fun for the boys. I think Matthew is really missing you. He has been trying to hurry through breakfast and he kept looking at the phone as he ate. He even told Alfred that we couldn't play until you called."

"Aw, mon doux graçon. He is so sensitive. Can I talk to him?"

"Of course. I need to clean up the table anyway. How is your trip going?"

"Fatigant. I had a meeting at six o'clock this morning and I have another one in about thirty minutes. I can't wait to be back at home." Francis sighed.

"Well the boys and I are looking forward to your return as well." Arthur looked over at Matthew and smiled. The tot was wiggling anxiously in his seat trying to be patient while waiting to speak with his father. "I better let you talk to Matthew before he wiggles his way off the chair. Talk to you this evening?"

"Oui, I should be done with the meets by seven. Au revoir."

Arthur handed the phone to Matthew, and then started gathering plates and bowls. Alfred was still working on his oatmeal, which it was plain to see he did not like, so Arthur figured that his son was busy enough not to bother his brother. Doing the dishes for three people didn't take as long as Arthur expected and Alfred was still taking his turn talking to Francis when he was finished. Arthur thought it was adorable when Alfred was talking about the snow. He was so excited to be able to play in it.

* * *

Once everyone was bundled up and outside the boys ran wild. Even calm Matthew seemed to have an over abundance of energy. It took Arthur a few tries to convince the purple eyed twin to leave his bear on one of the patio chairs but in the end Arthur won and Kumajirou stayed wrapped in a blanket on the chair. Arthur had told young Matthew that his stuffed polar bear was king of all the polar bears and that he just wanted to watch his knights conquer the wintery land. Matthew was so overjoyed with being called a knight, he quickly agreed to Kumajirou staying on his 'throne.' The last thing Arthur needed was a wet teddy bear being lugged around the house.

Alfred's first choice of action in the snow was to fall face first in it. Arthur ran over and stood him up right. "What are you doing?"

"Snow angel," Alfred cheered.

"Goofy child, you are supposed to fall on your back not your face." Arthur laughed before he demonstrated the proper way to make a snow angel. Both boys fell backwards beside him and did their best to copy his actions. With their short legs and arms, the angels turned out to be short and more rounded.

Arthur had a hard time keeping in his giggles but he managed to not let either of the boys notice. Alfred had a tendency to get an attitude whenever he thought he was being made fun of.

After the boys got tired of making snow angels, Arthur suggested making a snowman. Both boys looked up at him with sparkling eyes.

"YAY!" Alfred yelled.

"Tan we mate it look like Papa?" Matthew said shyly.

"That sounds like a fantastic idea," Arthur praised the young boy. "First we need to make some big snow balls. Who wants to help?"

"ME!" The twins yelled in unison.

So Arthur got the smaller balls going and then allowed the boys to roll them until they were too heavy. As he was putting the finishing touches on the bottom snow ball, the Brit went to the front of the yard near the curb to get some of the untouched snow. He looked up and noticed that the house that had been for sale since before they had moved in now had a 'Sold' sign on it. Arthur was curious about who was moving in but decided that time would tell.

When he rolled the large snowball back to where the boys decide they wanted it he couldn't help but laugh. The boys had found their stash of pinecones and acorn from the fall and were already arranging it on the smaller snowball, which was to be the head, in the form of the face. Even though they were trying to work together, it was so lopsided that no matter how much you turned it the face still looked silly.

Arthur giggled. "Looks just like Papa."Both boys' faces beamed with delight. After Arthur arranged the snowballs in the right order he came to the conclusion that if they stayed out any longer all of their fingers would fall off. "Who wants to have lunch?"

Matthew looked at King Kumajirou and stated, "His honor is hungy."

Arthur laughed and scooped both of the boys up and grabbed the stuffed polar bear king on the way back into the house. He made hot chocolate for the three of them and warmed up some of the noodle soup that Francis had made.

Luckily for Arthur, both of the boys were exhausted and went straight to sleep at nap time and even slept longer than usual. Even though they all missed Francis it had turned out to be a success. Arthur couldn't help but feel proud of himself for managing the twins by himself. As he sat down to do a little work most of his thoughts were focused on his happy family.

* * *

 _A/N: Thank you for reading I hope that you enjoyed. Please drop a review, I would really appreciate it._


	7. Chapter 7: Uncle Allistor and Neighbors

_A/N: Woah! What's this? Another chapter and it hasn't been a month and a half? Hey everyone. I hope that you enjoy this chapter. I am currently on summer vacation so I am able to write, write, write. Also I have planned out this story until the very end. No worries though. I am going all the way to the twelfth chapter and am planning a sequel where America and Canada are a little bit older._

 _I really hope you enjoy this chapter._

* * *

 **Chapter Seven: Uncle Allistor and Neighbors**

Arthur sat across the table from Francis glaring at him. "How could you do this? You know how I feel about that… man." The whispers that left the Brit's mouth dripped with the venom of anger.

"Angleterre, the boys need to meet some of their other relatives. They need to become more comfortable with other besides us. You know that the only family I have left is my aunt, who lives too far from here to travel at her age and my baby sister, who is too young to be of any company to the boys at this time," Francis whispered back with pleading in his voice. "It is only for the weekend. Just think, you can even have some time to relax. You have been so busy with work and the boys there has been no time for yourself."

"I don't need a break," Arthur snapped a little too loudly. Both men cautiously looked across the hall. Luckily both of the twins were still fast asleep under the make shift fort that Arthur had built. Alfred has insisted that naptime should be done in there today and Francis knew that there would be a fight for sleep if it wasn't done that way. Francis was already exhausted from having to work all morning on paper work so he didn't want to deal with two angry three year olds and his grumpy English friend. He finally chose to give into the boys and only deal with the latter.

"Even if I did want a break, wouldn't it be better to have someone more trustworthy watch them. Like Elizabeta, she said she would be happy to watch them and the boys already love spending time with Feliciano. I honestly think anybody but Allistor would be a more responsible pick for a babysitter." Arthur leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"Mon ami, I know he picked on you a lot throughout your childhood, but he did really about you." Francis whispered with a faint smile. "Remember the time when Mathias was picking on you? Who do you think beat him up? Also, you did tell him at the world meeting that he would be able to meet his nephews and that was months ago.

Arthur let out another sigh. "Fine. He can come but I am not going to be jumping for joy or anything. That git has to be gone by Monday as well."

"I knew you would come around," Francis smiled. "I'll go call Monsieur Scotland and tell him to arrange transportation."

Francis carefully but quickly raced to the phone and started dialing Allistor's phone number. Arthur figured that it would be best if he cooled off outside. At least that way he wouldn't have to be so quiet and it would get him away from the frog.

When he arrived at the front door he noticed that something was out of place. A large moving truck was pulled into the driveway across the street. Feeling a little nosy, Arthur decided to go and check out who the new neighbors were. As soon as he stepped onto the sidewalk to the house he noticed in front of moving truck there was a very familiar car. He looked closer to see if it has the bumper sticker and there it was 'I can drive all day long in Norway and I just got this car.'

"England! What are you doing here?" Mathais yelled waving his arms around like a maniac as he came out of the front door to the house.

"It's Arthur," the Brit sighed. "We are not at work, so please use my name. As to what I am doing here, I live across the street. I came to see if I could help the new neighbor move in. What are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm the new neighbor. Lukas, Emil, and I are going to be roommates. Lukas has been going through some tough stuff at home and decided it wasn't safe for him and Emil anymore," Mathias said in an unusually calm tone.

"I understand," Arthur said quietly. "When will they arrive?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. This is going to be AWESOME!" The Dane cheered, back to his usual self.

"Would you like some help unloading the truck?"

"That would be great!" Mathias unlocked the back of the moving truck, while Arthur went to tell Francis about their ne neighbor and chance into some comfier clothes.

* * *

"Why did we have to meet him at the bloody airport?" Arthur grumbled. "Couldn't the git have rented a car then drove out to our house?"

"Oh, Angleterre, I invited Allistor. It wouldn't be right to make him spend extra money on a car just for two days. Besides we needed to come to town anyways," Francis huffed. "Now behave before the boys start imitating your bad behavior."

Arthur looked over at the twins who had their faces pressed against the large glass windows. Neither one knew who Allistor was but they were excited to meet someone new. Arthur envied their innocence. Arthur despised his older brother but he did see Francis' point in them having a wider range of family in the picture.

"Daddy! Look a pwane." Alfred pointed in awe of the massive metal bird.

"Yes, that is a very large plane. I think that is the one that your uncle is on." Arthur said picking up the blue eyed twin.

Francis grabbed a hold of Matthew, who of course had Kumajiro, and followed his British housemate to the exit terminal.

It didn't take long for the passengers to start funneling through the doors. Francis was the first to stop the Scottish man.

"Bonjour, Allistor. Over here." Francis waved.

The red-haired man raised his hand to wave back as he came around the glass partition. "Hello lads." His eyes widened with amazement and then they softened. "These must be the wee lads that I hear so much about. Quite the lookers, they are."

"Allistor, this is Mathieu and his polar bear, Kumajiro. Mathieu, this is your uncle. His name is Allistor. He is Daddy's big brother."

"Hi," Matthew said shying behind his stuffed bear.

"Hello, Matthew. That is a really nice bear ye have there." Allistor turned to face his younger brother who had the other blonde twin on his shoulders. "Artie."

"It's Arthur." The Brit rolled his eyes. "How was your flight?"

"Long and boring. Who is this wee lad?"

"His name is Alfred. He is Matthew's twin. Alfred, this is your uncle, Allistor. Be polite and say hello."

"Hello." Alfred exclaimed with a huge smile. "Did you reawy ride in the pwane?"

"Aye, I sure did."

"Was it scawy?" Alfred's eyed him curiously.

"Of course not," Allistor gave a sly smile. "Yer uncle is very brave, lad."

"Wow."

Arthur shook his head and turned to leave. "Let's go get your luggage and get done with shopping so we can go home."

"Daddy?" Alfred said.

"Yes, buddy," the English man answered.

"Tan I ride a pwane?"

"Maybe when you are a little bit older."

"Otay."

* * *

After Francis was done getting ingredients to feed the now household of five, the car full of men and boys made its way back to the house. Alfred helped carry in the groceries and Allistor gave Alfred a piggy back ride as he carried in his luggage. Matthew followed closely behind Francis because he still wasn't quite sure of Allistor yet. Even though Alfred seemed to connect quickly with others, Matthew seemed to be a little more cautious.

While Francis prepared the evening meal, Allistor played with the boys in their playroom. Arthur could hear Alfred giggling and showing off all of his favorite toys. He was glad that they seemed to be getting along just fine but there was a slight tinge of jealousy. All Arthur could do was shake the feeling away and get back to his report on his country's finances.

 _Maybe Francis is right_ , Arthur thought. _Maybe I need a break from everything._

Before long there was a knock on his office door. "Come in," Arthur said. The door cracked open and a red, messy haired head peeked through.

"Is it safe?" A thick Scottish accent filled the room. "You're not going to throw any sharp objects at me are ye?"

"No," Arthur sighed. "I think I would have a toddle uprising if I did that. Not to mention Francis would never let me hear the end of it."

"How are things going? Living here with that French man."

"It's not so bad anymore. I'd even dare to say that we are becoming good old chaps. He does really well with the boys."

"Are ye happy?" Allistor looked Arthur straight in the eye.

Arthur smiled. "I am."

"Well good. Have to look out for ma wee brother." Allistor's face got a little more serious. In a low voice he said, "Have ye heard from maw recently?" Arthur shook his head. "She had another wee bairn. A boy. Said it was her last one. Maw ain't doing so well. Sounds like she is going to be sending him to that Finnish lad. What's his name? Tino?"

"Why him?" Arthur asked lacing his fingers together like a business man.

"Said he's been looking to adopt and checks out in every category for a good parent. I don't know how much longer that woman is going to last."

"When is she planning on giving Tino our brother?"

"When he turns two years old," the Scottish man sighed. "Doctors say she has just about that much time."

"Looks like he has it better than we did. At least he will get the attention he deserves." Arthur closed his eyes. "Thank you for telling me. Please do me a favor and do say anything to Francis about this. I will tell him when the time is right."

"Aye. Now enough of the serious talk, you friend from France said it is time to eat." The red headed man got up to leave the room.

"Before you go, what is his name?"

"Peter."

Arthur nodded and put the papers he was working on back in their folder and back into the drawer of his desk in which they came from. "Do you think he has the sight?"

"Ye mean like us?" Arthur nodded. "From what maw says it doesn't sound like it, but he is still very young. Do they know that ye can see the magic beings?"

"No! And they are not going to know because they will think I am crazy." Arthur snapped as he arrived at the thresh hold to his office. "It is safe here. I have taken all of the precautions. They will not be bothering us."

"That's my wee brother," Allistor smiled. "Now let's go eat. I'm starving."

* * *

After everyone was finished eating and the dishes were clean, the whole house hold gathered in the living room. Allistor told stories of his younger days and even seemed to poke jabs at Arthur like they were kids again. Alfred seemed to drink up every word that the man said, while Matthew contently sat on Francis' lap listening from afar. By eight o'clock the purple-eyed twin was rubbing his eyes and almost asleep. Arthur thought it was time to put the twins to bed and even call it a night for himself.

"How about we all go to the zoo tomorrow?" Allistor asked. "That is if yer daddy can take the day off of work?"

Both boys looked at Arthur. Alfred was a little more awake than Matthew but both managed, "Pwease Daddy!"

"My paper work isn't due until Tuesday so I think that will be perfectly fine if it is okay with Papa," Arthur smiled.

"That is a magnifique idea. Angleterre, if you put the boys to bed I will get a few things ready for tomorrow," Francis beamed.

So Arthur carried sleepy Matthew up to bed with Alfred following close behind. Once they were all tucked in Arthur gave each of the boys their goodnight kisses on the forehead. As he was about to leave Alfred's bedside the tot called him back down.

"Daddy," Alfred began. "I like Uncle Alstor but I love Daddy more."

Arthur felt his face warm up with delight. "I love you too, Alfred."

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider reviewing. Also, next chapter Uncle Allistor and the FACE family head to the zoo. What kind of trouble can they get to there?


	8. Chapter 8: The Day Kumajiro Went Missing

_A/N: Hey everyone! Snowflower here. Here is another chapter. Before that I would like to give a big shout out to a couple people. First, a big thanks to Eternal Fauna for helping me understand the Nordics a little better last chapter and for giving me the idea of Denmark's bumper sticker. Also, a big thanks to DouxAnge for keeping me motivated to post chapters even when I had long pauses between some of them. Thanks you two for helping me out. (^.^) And a big thank you too all of you who are following this story and have it favorite._

 _I really hope you enjoy this chapter._

* * *

 **Chapter Eight: The Day Kumajiro Went Missing**

Arthur carefully clicked the car seat belt, securing his son safely for the long ride home. Luckily Alfred was exhausted from a long day at the zoo, so he didn't resist or wiggle like he usually did. Next to Alfred was his brother Matthew, who was usually mellow and well behaved. However, when Arthur looked over he saw the young tot looking around frantically and fighting Francis as the Frenchman tried to buckle his son in.

"Mathieu, please, hold still. I cannot buckle you in safely if you keep twisting around like this," slight irritation salted the Frenchman's voice.

Big purple eyes looked around once more before filling with tears. His whole body started to heave in sobs. "Kumo-Kumocheerio, wh-where are y-you?" Matthew cried.

"Allistor, could you get Matthew's polar bear out of the stroller you just put in the back," Arthur asked realizing what the problem was.

The Scottish man rummaged through everything in the back of the vehicle as Francis tried to sooth the sobbing mess that was his son. "Uh, the wee lad's bear isn't back here."

"What do you mean it isn't back there?"

"Just what I said. Yer kid's bear isn't anywhere in this trunk," Allistor snapped.

Francis and Arthur exchanged looks. That only meant one thing; it was back in the zoo. Arthur unlatched Alfred's belt and pulled him back out of the car.

"Who's up for another round of the zoo?" Arthur sighed.

"The zoo closes in thirty minutes," Francis exclaimed. "There is no way we can cover the whole thing in that amount of time, when it took us the whole day the first time."

"Of course we can," the Englishman said. "This time we can split up and we aren't just look around, we are looking fast to find Kumajiro. Plus, I'm sure if we explain it to the zoo staff they will help and even give us an extension on the time."

"I hope you are right, Angleterre," Francis sighed looking at the sleeping child in his arms. The crying had already exhausted Matthew to the point where he fell asleep.

The group of nation representatives and their children went back up to the reception desk.

"Good evening," greeted a young, spunky looking girl. "Welcome to the Exploration Zoo. We close in half an hour and we ask that if you wish to view the animals that you would come back tomorrow."

"We have already viewed the animals today, miss," Arthur smiled.

"How wonderful," the girl smiled back. "How may I help you then?"

"You see, my son," Arthur pointed at the sleeping Matthew. "He lost his stuffed polar bear somewhere in the zoo and we need to go and find it."

"Sir, if you leave your name and phone number along with a detailed description of your lost item, we would be happy to contact you as soon as it turns up in the lost and fou-," the girl began to explain.

"You don't understand we need that bear tonight," Arthur pleaded.

"I'm sorry, sir, but our policy states-," the girl began to say but was interrupted yet again.

"Lass," the Scottish man said firmly. "I don't think ye understand the great need we have for that bear. This wee lad's grandma made it for him just before her death. If we don't find it fast, his poor heart will be broken. Have ye ever seen a three-year-old with a broken heart?" The girl shook her head with wide eyes. "Trust me; ye don't want to, lass. He will cry all night for months. As his uncle, I can't let that happen ye see. I have ways of finding out yer number and address. I will make sure ye doesn't sleep for as long as he is heart broke."

"Allistor, you can't threaten her like that. I'm sorry miss, my brother is an id-," Arthur began to say.

"No," the girl sniffed. "He's right. I don't want to see that poor thing heartbroken." She dug through her desk drawer and found three VIP passes/ "Take these with you and you will be allowed to stay until eight. I will alert the staff and that should give you more time, plus I know several will be willing to help out."

"Merci, mademoiselle," Francis said taking the passes.

After they re-entered the zoo, they took a look at the giant map. Arthur pointed at several different sections of the map, assigning areas to his brother and Francis as he went along.

"Allistor, you will probably move faster if you travel alone," the younger man stated.

"Aye," the red-haired Scotland representative agreed.

"Francis, Matthew seems to have grown comfortable in your arms. I think it would be better not to wake him at this time. So, you take him and I'll take Alfred."

"Oui," agreed the French father.

"We'll meet back here in an hour. If anyone find the bear before that have the girl make an announcement and we will just meet back at the check in desk instead." Everyone agreed.

With that everyone split up and went their respective ways. Arthur lifted Alfred on to his shoulders and took to a brisk walk towards the elephant exhibit.

* * *

After searching the elephant, giraffe, koala, and lion exhibits, Kumajiro was still nowhere to be found. Arthur decided to sit down beside the monkey enclosure to take a quick break. Alfred stood with his face pressed against the bars giggling at their antics.

All of the sudden Alfred let out a yell. "Daddy! There Kumochero!"

"Where at, love?" Arthur turned around.

"Tat monkey!" Alfred pointed to a small monkey on the ground. There it was holding Matthew's bear.

Arthur looked around to see if there was any staff around to help retrieve the stuffed animal. The area was quiet with no other human around. Arthur sighed. He feared that if he let the monkey out of his sight it would disappear with Kumajiro and they would have to start their search again. He decided that there was only one thing that they could do.

He told Alfred to stay in the spot he was in and that if anyone came yell as loud as he could. Alfred nodded. The Brit moved slowly around the enclosure trying to make sure that he didn't scare off the small primate. When he finally arrived at the door he noticed it was locked. With a huff he searched around the small area looking for anything that could help him pick the lock. Luckily for him there was a spare hidden between two fake rocks just below the 'Employees Only' sign.

Arthur let himself into the enclosure he cautiously stepped towards the small monkey. He grew closer with each step eyes never leaving it. He was within arm's reach of the little bugger when he heard his son let out a screech.

"Watch out, Daddy," Alfred yelled.

When Arthur turned around he found a rather large mother monkey standing behind him with a handful of blackberries. Arthur backed away slowly hoping that the smaller monkey was still in the same spot. He had formed a plan. Back up, snatch the bear, and run for the door.

Unfortunately the smaller monkey didn't follow the plan because when Arthur had arrived to the spot it was originally at, it was no longer there. Arthur turned around to see where it had gone which had been a mistake. The mother decided it had enough of the intruder and started throwing blackberries and other fruits at the Englishman. Arthur ran around the enclosure trying to find shelter from the pelting of fruit to form a new plan.

Meanwhile, Alfred watched the comedic show of his father and the monkeys. Before too long the smaller of the monkeys had noticed the child and took a great interest in him. It carried his brother's bear to the bars of the enclosure and examined Alfred intensely. Alfred being curious about the monkey took a step closer to the bars.

"Tat is Mattie's," Alfred glared at the small monkey. "You need to give it back. You mate Mattie cwy."

The monkey looked at the bear as if it understood what the young child was saying and hugged it tightly.

"You want a toy?" The monkey gave what Alfred thought to be a nod. The tot looked at the superhero toy that was in his own hand and decided to give it a shot. "You tan have Stuperman if you div me Kumocheer."

The monkey looked at the superhero and its eyes grew wide. It held the bear outside of the bars along with its other hand. Alfred placed the action figure into its hand and then grabbed the teddy bear. The monkey let out an excited howl and ran back to the trees.

Alfred looked at Kumajiro with a large smile. His brother would finally be happy again. However, he realized there was a slight issue; his Daddy was still in the cage with the crazy monkey mom.

"DADDY!" Alfred yelled.

"Love, I am kind of busy at the moment. What do you need?" Arthur said in an exhausted voice.

"I has Kumocheer," the tot screech in excitement.

"Really?" Arthur peeked out from his hiding spot and Alfred lifted up the polar bear for him to see. Arthur smiled proudly and decided to make a run for the door.

Luckily, the mother monkey noticed that the man was no longer a threat to her baby and chose to not follow him. When Arthur came around after locking the door back up, Alfred couldn't help but break out in giggles. The Englishman was covered from head to toe in rainbow colored spots.

"Oh, stop laughing you." Arthur smiled. "How did you get the bear back?"

"He wanted a toy," Alfred said quietly. "I trade him Stuperman for Kumocheer."

"I see," Arthur whispered. "Do you want Superman back?"

"No trade backs," Alfred grinned. "I Mattie's hewo."

Arthur couldn't help but beam from ear to ear. His son was a great brother.

* * *

Back in the car Matthew sat in his car seat hugging the traumatized stuffed polar bear to death. Alfred and Allistor were drifting off into dreamland. Francis was listening to the story of what happened at the monkey enclosure.

Arthur grinned in the darkness. "Our children are growing up to be such great kids."

"Oui, they are," Francis agreed pulling on to the interstate. "We are raising them well."

* * *

 _A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Review if you have a chance._


	9. Chapter 9: Happy Birthday!

_A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you for all of your support._

 _I really hope you enjoy this chapter._

* * *

 **Chapter Nine: Happy Birthday!**

The yard was bustling with the activity of young children. Screeches could be heard throughout the neighborhood. There was a blow up bounce house in the expansive grass area, balloons that lined the yard and two cakes sitting on the garden table. On each of the cake there were four candles.

"So, the twins are turning four today," Elizabeta smiled. "Feliciano had just turned four the year we adopted him and his brother. Before you know it the boys will be ready for school. Are you going to send them to preschool this year?"

"Non," Francis answered. "We decided to give them one more year to completely adjust. Plus that will give us the opportunity to travel and do some family things without having to worry about working around the boys' school schedule."

"That's understandable. Now that both of our boys are in school it is harder to plan vacations unless it is summer time," the Hungarian woman sighed.

The children ran back and forth across the yard yelling with pure joy at the enormous amount of fun they were having. Matthew and Alfred always enjoyed having the other kids over since they didn't get to interact with children their own age a lot. Even though Emil lived right across the street they hadn't been able to play much due to the ongoing court battles that Lukas was having with his family. He was trying to get complete guardianship over his younger brother due to his parents being unfit to raise the child themselves. Emil was always traveling back and forth between their home across the street and the town in which the courts were located or he was under Mathias' charge. Mathias wanted nothing more to win the approval of his housemate, so when he was in charge of the small child he would take Emil to different places for fun.

As for all the other children, they lived in different towns so play dates had to be scheduled and that didn't happen very often due to everyone's busy life styles.

Arthur watched the boys giggling and smiling as they chased after their friends. It warmed his heart to see them so happy.

Lukas took a seat next to the Englishman. "Thanks for inviting us over. Emil is really enjoying himself."

"Your welcome, chap," Arthur smiled. "You are always welcome to come over whenever you like. Even if you just want to drop Emil off for him to play with the twins. That is fine as well."

"I might take you up on that offer in a couple of weeks. I have a court hearing soon and the judge said it might be a little too long for him to sit through. Mathias would normally watch Emil but he has an important meeting that day."

"How is court going? Any progress?"

"Well, the judge is finally seeing my side so I don't think it will be long before I have full guardianship. We are supposed to go over all of the points and checks at the next hearing. That is why it will take longer than usual."

"Well, I hope you get the outcome we are all expecting. Emil will benefit even more if he can stay out of that house." Arthur knew exactly how rough Lukas' childhood was and he didn't want to see Emil go through the same thing. Not only would it be bad for the toddler but it would devastate Lukas, even if he didn't show it outwardly.

"Daddy!" Alfred came running at full speed. "Tan we open presents, please?"

"Not yet, love," Arthur laughed knowing how his son had been eyeing the stack all morning. "After lunch and cake."

"Otay," Alfred said with a pouty tone but he ran off when Ludwig and Feliciano called him from the bounce house.

* * *

Around noon the yard, and quite possibly the neighborhood, was filled with the smell of freshly grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. Everyone who was attending the boys' birthday party gathered on the patio to eat.

The boys and their friends sat down at the small patio table. The air was filled with their chatters of the most recent popular cartoons. Arthur thought it was quite humorous how the twins tried to act like they knew everything the other boys were talking about, when in reality they got very little TV time each day.

"So, Gilbert," Arthur said. "How is Ludwig doing in school?"

"Oh, he's doing awesome. He had straight A's at the end of the last year."

"That's amazing," Elizabeta sighed. "I wish my boys would apply themselves to school like your brother does."

"Maybe they would if you were stricter about them studying," Roderich grumbled.

"The boys need to have fun too, so they don't become a couple of kids with too much energy. You know what happened the last time you grounded Feliciano for a whole week."

The Austrian sighed in defeat. "You are right, dear. We don't want a repeat of that."

"What happened?" Francis questioned curiously.

"When he was in first grade, he got in trouble for sneaking pasta into the classroom and trying to feed it to the class pet," the Hungarian woman giggled. "It was a goldfish."

"The fish nearly died and traumatized several of his classmates." Roderich rubbed his brow as if the memory pained him. "As a result, I grounded him to his room, where all he could do is study for a week."

Elizabeta couldn't help but laugh out loud as she continued the story. "It had only been two days into the week when we got the call. Apparently out Feliciano is a bundle of energy and trying to contain it isn't a good thing. Half way through his reading class he got up, took a deep breath and yelled pasta. Then he ripped off his clothes and ran down the hall screaming pasta for all." All of the adults at the party burst into a fit of laughter, even Lukas. "We asked him later why he did that. He told us he couldn't remember."

"That is why, when he gets in trouble now we give him extra chores," Roderich explained.

Arthur and Francis exchanged grim looks. Alfred was already proving to be a bundle of energy. They feared as he got older he would be uncontainable. At least they could take this experience their friends had and not repeat it.

After chatting for a short time longer they could tell the birthday boys were getting restless. Not only did Alfred have his eyes and mind on the presents, Matthew did too.

"Papa, pweas tan we open dem now," Arthur heard the quiet voice pleading with Francis.

"After we have cake, mon cher." The French man told his son. Matthew sighed but rejoined his brother and friends.

* * *

With faces covered in icing and sugar fueled energy, the boys ran back and forth playing tag with their friends. Francis called both over and wiped the sweet sticky goodness off of them and told them to sit down.

One by one, each opened a present from their friends. Matthew received several coloring books with arctic animals, some crayons, and some other toys that suited him perfectly. Alfred was pleased with his super hero coloring books and crayons, along with his many super hero toys his friends gave him.

"Tank you," the boys chimed in unison. In returned they got a jumble of your welcomes.

Francis gave Arthur the thumbs up, which was the cue to bring out their presents to the boys.

"Happy Birthday!" Arthur exclaimed as he wheeled two bikes with training wheels around the corner of the house.

"Bon anniversaire!" Francis cheered at the same exact time.

Both boys stared with their mouths hanging slightly open. "Wow!" was the only thing they could manage.

The bike Alfred was receiving was dark blue with bits of red designs all around the frame. Matthew's on the other hand was bright red and had white images throughout the frame.

"Tank you, Papa and Daddy," Matthew cried. He ran over to Francis and gave him a tight hug.

"Tank you," Alfred said as he jumped up into his father's arms.

"Your welcome, love," Arthur cooed as he cuddled his now four year-old close. "We can practice riding them tonight."

"Otay," Alfred cheered.

After all the thank yous were given, the kids went back to playing. Francis took a seat next to Arthur and commented with a grin, "It looks like we did well today, Angleterre."

"I do believe so, old chap," replied Arthur taking a sip from his tea.

"I have one more surprise for the boys and you, since I missed you anniversaire. Next week we are going on a little vacation, but I am not saying where," Francis smiled smugly.

Arthur was touched by his friend's gesture but was also concerned by this sudden mystery. Who knows what the next week would bring? Apparently only the French man with blue eye like the sea and wavy blond hair that made Arthur think of the summer sun.

* * *

 _A/N: Thanks you for reading. Please consider reviewing. See you next chapter._


	10. Chapter 10: Vacation

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry that it has been so long. Well, here I am bringing you chapter 10. I have an announcement about this story however. Instead of it having 12 chapters, there is only going to be one more. So, ending at 11. Don't Fear! The sequel is already in the making and the first chapter will be shortly after the last chapter of this one. The boys will be a little older and the story will focus more on them.**

 **If you haven't already, check out 'This is War' It is a one-shot I recently released.**

 **I hope you enjoy! Happy reading!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 10:Vacation**_

Arthur rolled down the windows of the car as soon as Francis pulled off of the interstate. Immediately th sounds of seagulls filled the vehicle. The salty air did as well. In the backseat Arthur heard three toddler voices.

Emil had ended up tagging along due to Lukas having a court date which would last a long two days. Too long for any four year old to sit through. Matthias couldn't watch him because he had meetings all week. Francis told Lukas that is was no problem and both Alfred and Matthew really enjoyed Emil's company.

The small community was crawling with tourists. Luckily for the family, they were headed to the south of that town to a secluded beach rental. Arthur was not only excited for the time with his family but also the time that Francis was going to allow him to chill out and take it easy.

"Daddy," an energetic voice came from the backseat. "Ah we dare yet?"

"Alfred, don't you even think about starting that," Arthur said rolling his eyes. "I will tell you when we get there."

"But I has to peepee."

"Francis, can we stop somewhere. I don't want to reverse all of the training we've done." Arthur shivered at the thought of their experience in potty training. Of course, Matthew was a breeze. That child was so keen to listen and do what he told. Alfred on the other hand was a little nightmare. At first he would refuse to get anywhere near the toilet. Then when Artur finally got him on the toilet, Alfred would refuse to go and would have an accident almost immediately after. It took nearly three times the length of time to potty train Alfred than it did Matthew.

Francis pulled into the first gas station parking lot that he could find. Quickly the British man ushered the three boys into the building while Francis filled up the fuel tank. He successfully managed to get all three to do their duties without any accidents.

On the way out, something caught Alfred's eye. Before Arthur could grab the tot's arm, Alfred was already across the store.

"Daddy, can I have one, pwease!" The little boy's blue eyes sparkled. He was pointing at a large bag of cotton candy.

 _What could it hurt?_ Arthur thought grabbing a bag. _As long as i divide the bag between the three if them. it can't be that bad._

"Just one bag," Arthur told his son. "But you are going to share with your brother and Emil."

"Otay, daddy," Alfred said grinning from ear to ear.

After paying for the sugary treat, Arthur lead the little ducklings back to the car. Francis was waiting to buckle in the toddlers. He instantly spotted the bag of candy floss. He raised an eyebrow and Arthur shrugged. When everyone was back in the car, Francis explained that there is about twenty more minutes before they would reach the beach house.

Arthur opened the bag of cotton candy and handed a sugary puff ball to each of the boys. Francis side-eyed him. "Do you really think that is a good idea, Angleterre?"

"I'm not going to give them much," the Englishman said. "What could go wrong?"

"Hon. Hon." Francis laughed. "Don't push it, Angleterre. The last thing you want to see is sugar high four year olds. One little puff ball shouldn't cause them to become crazy. Plus the will be ill if you give them too much."

"Hear that boys." Arthur smirked "papa says only a little at a time. We don't want any tummy aches."

"No tummy ache." Alfred cheered.

The other two had already started munching on the clouds of sugary goodness. When they all finished, they went back to staring out the window and letting out quiet sounds of amazement.

Arthur settled back in his seat and watched the small town roll by.

* * *

Exactly twenty minutes later, the car pulled into the driveway of the small beach house they would be staying in. The front yard was small and decorated with an abundance of tropical flowers and trees. Emil was excited to see right behind the house was the beach and ocean. Arthur and Francis began unloading the bags that were in the back of the car. Francis made it clear that he wanted the boys to stay were he could see them.

The whole family eventually made it into the house to unpack and get settled in. Everyone found the beach house to be charming. It was three bedrooms, which was perfect for them. Arthur and Francis would get their own rooms and the three tots would share one. The living room was brightly lit by the ceiling to floor windows and the room seemed to be large due to the light colored furniture. Just off of the living room was the kitchen. There was no wall to seperate the two rooms and there was an island right in the middle of it. There was a single bathroom with a deep tub and a walk-in shower.

Arthur and the boys greatly approved of the choice Francis had made. The boys went to the living room to play while the adults unpacked and figured out what they were going to do first.

"How about we get something to eat, then head out to the beach for the rest of the afternoon," Francis suggested, his french accent dripping from every word.

"Sounds like a plan," Arthur agreed. "What should we have? I saw the town had a couple of restaurants as we passed through."

"Oui. That sounds magnifique." The Frenchman grabbed the car keys. After living with his friend and the kids for nearly a year, he knew there culinary likes and dislikes. "I'll go pick something up and bring it back here. It will save us the trouble of loading les enfants up again." Arthur agreed.

While Francis was getting lunch, the British man watched the four year olds play in the living room.

* * *

After lunch, everyone got into the swim trunks and lathered down in sunscreen. They all headed out the back of the house onto the deck that looked out over the white sand beach and the vast, blue ocean. Both arthur and Francis laid down the rules before they headed out. The boys had to be insight at all times and they had to be with one of the adults if they wanted to go near the water.

Everyone thought it was a good idea to explore the beach first. To the north was a path that lead up to the top of a cliff that hung over the ocean. To the south the white sandy beach turned into flat rock slabs with wading pools scattered throughout it. The back of the beach house faced the west which was where the ocean lay.

Matthew was the first to notice the beach was littered with a large variety of seashells. "Daddy. Papa. What dis?" He asked holding up a pieces of a broken turritella seashell.

"That's a seashell," Arthur explained. "In the ocean, small animals live in them. when they get too big they move to a different shell and their old ones get washed up onto the beach."

The toddler's purple eyes grew wider at the idea of it being a creature's home. "Tan I teep it?"

"Of course, love. They don't need it anymore," Arthur smiled at the timid boy. "Here, I will take it up and put it with Kumajiro so he can keep it safe." Matthew nodded handing his dad the shell then ran off to look for more this his brother and friend. The Brit signaled to the other adult that he was going to take the shell to the deck. After lunch they had a tough time getting Matthew to leave Kumajiro somewhere he wouldn't get dirty or washed away. They finally settled on leaving the stuffed bear on one of the lawn chairs on the deck, where he could 'watch' Matthew and the others play.

Upon his return, Arthur found a pile of seashells and a mound of sand. The for other males were standing around it. "What are you doing?" Arthur asked raising a thick eyebrow.

"Building a sandcastle," Francis replied.

Arthur snickered. "More like a sand igloo." Francis shot him a glare.

"Arter," Emil said quietly. "We need hep, pwease."

"Alright. We need a bucket and a lot of water."

They spent the rest of the afternoon building what Alfred called an epic sandcastle. Where he learned the word epic, Arthur had no clue. Afterwards they ate supper and played in the wading pools until it was time for a bath and bed.

* * *

It took no time for all three of the young children to fall asleep. The nice sea breeze had blown in, which allowed Arthur and Francis to leave the bedroom windows open that night.

After the kids were all fast asleep, both the adults went out onto the deck to lay out under the stars and have some child-free time.

"Thank you, Francis," Arthur sighed happily. "For this wonderful vacation. I needed some time away from work."

"Your welcome, Angleterre," the french man said. He was laying back with his eyes closed. "Have you heard the news?"

"What news?"Arthur eyed his friend curiously.

"Our community is going to be getting an influx of new residents."

"Really?"

"Oui. They are all people we know as well. Remember, when everyone came to visit us? Well, they were so impressed with the quiet and safe community that several have applied to move there."

"You mean the other country representatives?"

"Oui. Gilbert and his little brother, Ludwig, have already been approved. They are just waiting for their offer on the house to be accepted."

Arthur rolled over on his side to give Francis his full attention. "Which house are they hoping for?"

"Remember that petit one duex blocks away. The one with the horrifying paint job."

Arthur cringed as he remembered the lime green house with yellow trim. _Oh boy,_ Arthur thought, _One of Francis' best friends moving that close. This should be interesting._

"Please tell me they are going to repaint that house."

"They will as soon as Antonio gets approval from his boss and moves in with them." Francis let out a laugh.

 _Even worse. the y whole trio living within walking distance of each other._ Arthur sighed _._

"Rodrich and Elizabeta just filed their paperwork and it is being processed. Even Yao is going to move himself and Kiku to town. I think they are going to live in the apartment complex that is near the school."

"That is a lot of country representatives in one are."

Francis smiled and replied, "That's not even it. Basch and his little sister, Berwald and Tino, Ivan and three children who are under his care, and Feliks are moving to our location."

"Wow. That is a lot of people," the British man said with wide eyes. "With Lukas and Mathias across the street we have our own little club." Then the realization hit Arthur lik a bag of bricks. "Is Allistor moving there too?"

"Non. He is content being the uncle who just comes to visit. Plus, right now I think he is too busy to even think about moving."

"Thank heaven." Arthur let out a sigh of relief. Even though everything went fine on the visit, he thought he would go insane with his older brother living that close everyday. "Well, I think this will be a good thing. The boys can play with the other children and siblings of the other representatives. On the other hand, maybe it can improve our connections between the countries."

"Exactement," Francis smiled. "Oh, did you know that Berwald and Tino were moving in together?"

Yet again, Arthur felt like a bag of bricks whacked him. He remembered his conversation with Allistor.

" _Have ye heard from maw recently? She had another wee bairn. A boy. Said it was her last one. Maw ain't doing so well. Sounds like she is going to be sending him to that Finnish lad. What's his name? Tino?"_

"Really?" Arthur's voice cracked. "Golly look at the time. I think I should get some rest."

Francis looked at Arthur suspiciously but chose not to say anything.

"Good night, Francis," Arthur said before going inside.

"Bonne nuit, Angleterre," Francis replied.

* * *

The next morning, Arthur awoke to the lovely smell of warm tea. Off in the other room he could hear the boys playing. He changed into some shorts and a t-shirt before heading to the kitchen-living room area.

The boys were playing legos while Francis was making miniature pancakes for them.

"Bonjour, Angleterre," the French man beamed. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Very well, thank you," Arthur said stretching.

"Breakfast is almost ready."

The boys ended up having miniature pancakes and milk, while Arthur had eggs and toast with tea and Francis had strawberry crepès and tea.

After breakfast, Francis decided to take the boys and play on the beach. This allowed Arthur to have some quiet time to himself. Luckily , Arthur had brought the novel he had been trying to read.

Just before noon Arthur heard the familiar shouts of his son. When he looked up he sae young Alfred running at full speed towards him. In his little arms was a rather large conch shell.

"Daddy! Daddy! Wook what I found! Papa said I cou…" Alfred wasn't able to finish his sentence because he tripped and fell face first into the sand.

When he sat up he looked slightly confused and then the waterworks began. Quickly, Arthur rushed over to his son and scooped him up. It didn't take long for Alfred to be comforted. He showed his dad the conch and said Francis agreed to let him take it home with them the next day.

After lunch, Francis got the brilliant idea for the boys to bury Arthur in the sand. Surprisingly, Arthur thought it was fun and he had a blast.

That night everyone slept on the deck under the stars.

* * *

"No, Daddy! I stay here," Alfred protested. He was the only one who wasn't strapped into a car seat yet. Instead he was standing with a death grip on one of the palm trees.

"Come on, Alfred," Arthur sighed. "You can't stay here. The house isn't ours and I have to go to work tomorrow."

"NOOO!" The toddler yelled.

"Alfred, stop that this instance," the Englishman snapped at the four year-old. "Now either you walk yourself over to that car or I will carry you."

Alfred let out an angry cry and sat down refusing to move. Arthur sighed and picked up his angry toddler. Sometimes it felt like he had a handful with the blue-eyed child. After a few minutes of struggling, he managed to get Alfred buckled up.

Soon the family and Emil were on the road home. When they were about halfway home Arthur's cell phone began to ring.

"Hello?" Arthur answered.

"Mr. Kirkland," said a familiar older voice. "This is the head of the Board of Representatives."

"Mr. Chairman," Arthur said wide eyed. He stole a glance at Francis. Concern seemed to show in his eyes as well. "How are you?"

"Well." He answered quickly. "I am calling to summon you and Mr. Bonnefoy next have an important matter to discuss."

"Yes, sir. We will be there," Arthur answered. Then he hung up after saying farewell. He leaned back and sighed. "We've been summoned."

"When?"

"The beginning of next month."

"D'accord." The Frenchman's voice cracked.

A summons from the board was rarely good.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed. Feel free to review. Hope to get the last chapter out soon.  
**


	11. Chapter 11: Happy Family-versary

**A/N: Eep! Sorry for the long wait. It's bittersweet to be posting the final chapter of 'For the Boys.' I want to give one last thank you to those who have liked, followed, and/or reviewed. You guys are awesome!**

 **Before the story begins I do have a couple of announcements to make.**

 **Number 1: There is going to be a sequel that focuses more on the boys when they are a little older. Its title will be 'The Lessons They Learn.' The first chapter should be out soon.**

 **Number 2: I am doing a collab with EternalFauna. If you want to read that story it is called 'Germans in love and things get weird.' Overall it has been a blast writing it. So, after you are finished reading this, head over to Archive of Our Own and read that on too.**

 **I've really enjoyed writing this story and hope you like the ending.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Happy Family-versary**

Francis and Arthur stood at the podiums in front of the Board of Representatives.

The head chairman spoke first. Welcome Mr. Bonnefoy and Mr. Kirkland. We have called you here today to ask you a few questions."

The man to his right pulled out a paper and cleared his throat. "Is it true that the two of you are now living together?"

"Yes, chairman." Arthur answered.

"What is the nature of this living arrangement, Mr. Kirkland?"

"Mr. Chairman. Mr. Bonnefoy and I have been living together for a year now. We adopted two boys on separate accounts. Under a policy that the children's grandmother had put in place, the boys are to be raised together. Neither Mr. Bonnefoy nor I knew about this until the adoption was finalized. In order to complete the grandmother's dying wish, we agreed on raising the children in a family environment."

All of the board nodded in acceptance of the answer. The questioner looked at Francis. "Mr. Bonnefoy, how has this arrangement affected your job as France's representative?"

"It has not affected it any, Monsieur. As mere people, we have learned to be more understanding. As country representatives, we still stand for what we've always have. If you are worried about a union between our countries, be at rest. Neither of us us want that."

The head of the board nodded. "Very pleasing."

"Did either of you incite the migration of representatives to you area?" The questioner read from the paper.

"No," Arthur answered. "It was of the their own decision."

The board members murmured amongst themselves.

After a few minutes, the head chairman straightened up. "As you know, within the next few years several countries are going to be eligible for representation. We would like for the both of you to raise the children you have adopted to take the positions of Canada and the United States of America. As of right now, they would take their positions upon turning the age of sixteen years."

Arthur looked over at Francis, who in turn looked at him wide eyed. This was a fabulous opportunity to have the boys' future secured. However, Arthur felt that it would be robbing the boys of a choice in the future. What if Alfred wanted to be a pilot? What if Matthew wanted to join a vet career?

Francis turned to the Board of Representatives and ask, "Could Angleterre and I speak outside for a moment?"

"But of course."

Arthur and Francis stepped into the hallway.

Before Arthur could says anything , Francis explained, "I think we should."

"But shouldn't we give them the choice to be whatever they want when they grow up?" Arthur asked.

"Oui. However, we can make a deal with the board. We will raise Alfred and Mathieu as future representatives, then when they turn sixteen they can choose if they want to follow in out footsteps."

Arthur thought about it for a moment. "Alright."

Upon returning, Francis told the board what they had discussed. Surprisingly, the entire board agreed.

"Thank you for coming on short notice," the head chairman concluded. "We are very pleased with all if our representatives. We will see each of you at the annual report session."

"Merci, Monsieur," Francis said as he left the room.

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Chairman." Arthur politely add before leaving as well.

* * *

"Well, that went better than expected," Arthur commented on the drive home.

"Oui," Francis answered. "I thought we were going to be in some kind of trouble."

"As did I," Arthur laughed nervously. "Do you think the boys will accept the positions when they are old enough?"

"It is too soon to tell. I think we should just let them be kids for now. When they are older we will discuss them." Francis told the British man. "Did you know that we weren't the only ones called into see the board? Elizabeta just text me. She said that Yao, Gilbert, Ivan and a couple others were called in also."

Arthur shook his head. "Did she say why?"

"Oui. The board wants their younger siblings and children to fill in the representative roles when they reach the proper age."

"I can understand, though. It will save them training completely new people." Arthur explained. "Anyway, tomorrow it will be one year since we've had the boys. What are we going to do?"

"Bonne question, Angleterre." Francis thought aloud. "We could go on a picnic. There is a little park about two blocks away from our house."

The British man thought about it for a bit and decided that it would be a great idea.

* * *

When they returned home, Francis went in to fix lunch while Arthur went across the street to pick up the boys from Mathias' house.

Lukas greeted Arthur at the door. "Hey. They have been really well behaved."

"I'm glad. Usually, Matthew is, but sometimes Alfred can be a handful."

Lukas gestured for Arthur to come inside. The Norwegian man chuckled, "Between the three boys, Mathias gave in and let them play in the pool."

"Oh boy," Arthur laughed. "I guess they should get it out of their system before the weather gets too cold."

Lukas agreed. "I have some news. Today we received the official papers. I am now officially Emil's legal guardian." Lukas was wearing the biggest smile Arthur had ever seen.

"That is brilliant," Arthur beamed. He congratulated his friend. "At least now he can be in a safe environment. Mathias will be good with him."

"He's already proven to be," the younger male commented.

In the backyard, Mathias was splashing the three giggling boys. Every so often a shriek could be heard whenever Mathias dumped a bucket full of water over them.

When the boys saw Arthur they cheered and started to get out of the pool, but he told them they could stay in for a few extra minutes.

"Have you received a call from the board yet?" Arthur asked.

"No," Lukas answered. "Why?"

"As soon as they find out that you have complete custody of Emil, you will probably get one," Arthur said. "They want Francis and I to raise the boys with the intent on them becoming representatives when they grow up."

Lukas nodded. "Makes sense on their part. Less work for them. What did you guys decide?"

"We told them that we will set them on that course but when they are old enough that they still need to be able to have the option of choosing something else."

"And the board agreed to that? They must be desperate." The Norwegian let out a light laugh. "Usually it is their way or no way at all."

"We were both surprised as well. Just keep in mind that there might be room for a deal if they want Emil for one." Arthur advised.

"Will do." Lukas agreed. "I'll go get towels. It is about time for lunch."

While Lukas went to retrieve the towels, Arthur watched the boys playing in the pool. In the past year they had grown up a lot. Not only in height either. Both boys had come out of their shells and started showing their personalities.

Matthew showed that he was quite the animal lover and compassionate towards others. Alfred loved adventure and tended to get into trouble due to his mischievous behaviors. They got along very well and seemed to get nervous whenever separated. Arthur was relieved that they had a positive brotherly bond, unlike him with his own. The British man smiled.

* * *

Luckily the next day was bright and beautiful. Francis got up early and made everyone sandwiches and packed some snacks. Arthur was in charge of getting the boys dressed and ready to go. Since the weather was so nice, they decided to walk the three blocks to the park.

"Daddy," Alfred smiled. "Will you hold my hand?"

"Yes. So, you will be safe while we walk." Arthur explained as he pulled the toddler's shirt over his head.

"Who hold Mattie's hand?" Alfred asked when his face was free again. During the previous weeks the older twin had become overly protective of the younger one.

Arthur smiled at his son and replied. "I think Papa will hold his hand. That way both of you will be very safe."

"Otay." Alfred smiled.

Arthur helped Matthew put on his clothes and guided the twins down the stairs were Francis was waiting. There was a lovely breeze that kept the family cool on their walk. Autumn was just beginning but they all could feel the change.

"This is nice," Arthur said to Francis when they arrived at the park. "I think it is great that we don't even have to go far for the boys to enjoy life."

"Oui," Francis answered putting the cooler down. "The beach was nice but it took a lot of planning. This was simple and effective."

The men had received a letter from the adoption agency the week before telling them that everything in their first year looked perfect. They wouldn't need to do any further checks. It was also stated that if they were wanting to adopt anymore children that the agency would love to work with them again. Arthur and Francis both agreed that these two boys were going to be enough.

"Francis," Arthur began. "Do you think they will grow up and stay this close?"

The French man watched the young boys playing on the slides laughing and having a great time. "Oui, because they have such a strong bond. They may fight but I think with what they have been through nothing can permanently separate them." Francis answered.

"I'm glad," Arthur replied. "Remember that promise we made a year ago."

"Oui."

"Let's always keep it. For the boys."

* * *

 **End A/N: Don't forget to leave a review and check out 'Germans in love and things get weird' on Archive of Our Own.**

 **Until the next story!**


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